“A comment article on September 3 described Anna Ford as a ‘Trotskyite’. Ms Ford has asked us to clarify that she has never been an admirer of Trotsky, nor of the Communist Party nor its philosophy. We are happy to set the record straight.”

No explanation was given for why Ms Ford was described in this way.

‘Trotskyite’ is a term of abuse used against people with hard Left politics, particularly admirers of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky.

The term became a swearword after the split between Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, when it was used to mean ‘traitor’ inside Soviet Russia to stifle dissent.

Today, use of the term (over the less insulting ‘Trotskyist’) is largely confined to right-wing newspapers – and supporters of the Stalin’s politics.

Your subheading “The Tory Firebrand was once a Trotskyite…” (Owen Jones, 9 September) suggests that I am a supporter of the Tory party. Actually, as Jones accurately explained in his article, I have spent the last eight years or so campaigning unsuccessfully for the destruction of that ghastly organisation. Also, it’s a sad day when the Guardian, of all newspapers, no longer knows the difference between “Trotskyite” (a Stalinist term of abuse) and “Trotskyist” (a technical description).
Peter Hitchens
London